Mobile Phones UK is now S21

Mobile Phones UK (Mobile-Phones-UK.org.uk) launched in 2001 and we've been reviewing the best (and worst) of all things mobile ever since. We remember the days when a mobile phone was a brick that could just make calls and send texts. A lot has happened since, not least the transformation of mobiles into smartphones and the convergence of phones and computers to spawn tablets.

To reflect the way technology is moving we've rebranded our site as S21. We'll still be bringing you honest, unbiased reviews and recommending the best online retailers. We'll be expanding into new areas of technology too, and we hope you'll continue to like what we do as the tech world gets ever faster and more central to our lives. So remember:

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Comment by Qasid
from UK
on 28th Jan 2015
Good to see you guys again! I have been using your site for years, and
it has been the most reliable source for reviews. I started off with
the NEC e228, making my way through a lot of Samsungs (D900 - Omnia -
Tocco Ultra) then went to Blackberry Torch (still probably the most
productive phone I've used so far - just because of the slide qwerty
keypad). I converted to iPhone with the iPhone 5 and just recently got
the iPhone 6 Plus (128GB - already used up!). I also have a Samsung
Galaxy S5 as it is very powerful in comparison to the iPhone. I
am sad to see that a lot of the old forms of phones (slide/clam) have
now been all but terminated - all the phones these days are
touchscreen/smartphones with similar forms. Hope this will change and
they'll start bringing the sliders back!

Reply by S21
from UK
on 28th Jan 2015
Hi Qasid, thanks for your kind words. There are still some
manufacturers experimenting with interesting form factors - the new
BlackBerry Passport is one of our favourites. The LG G Flex is, um,
different. The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is pushing the boundaries too.
It often strikes us that people who use a touchscreen phone with a
folding case are basically using a clamshell-style phone. Maybe they
could make a comeback? But those sliders - they were so cool!

Comment by Kof
from UK
on 14th Oct 2014
Hi and good to see you back reviewing phones and have sorted out whose
making the tea :-P! I don't suppose you will be reviewing the
Moto G 2nd generation or are you guys waiting for more updates from
Motorola ? I'm just curious if the 2nd generation Moto G is a
worthy update or stick to the original.

Reply by S21
from UK
on 15th Oct 2014
Hi Kof, We don't plan to do a new review of the 2014 edition Moto G. It's basically the same but with a slightly larger 5 inch display, Android 4.4.4 KitKat, a microSD card slot, and an enhanced camera. These are all welcome additions. As we already gave the original Moto G five stars, the new version easily deserves five stars too!

Comment by Frank
from UK
on 10th Oct 2014
Hi, Any chance of a review of the new moto x 2014? I'm due
an upgrade soon and was going to opt for the Sony z3 until I noticed
this was being released, as well as the upcoming nexus 6 also being
Motorola built. To my mind Motorola has always been top dog when
it comes to reception strength and being able to get a firmer grip on
the signal, which, when you live and work in an area with relatively
poor coverage, like me, is probably more beneficial than slightly
faster processor speeds. Keep up the good work, I've been a fan
of this site for years and it's the first place I look for reviews
when I'm buying new tech. Thanks, Frank

Reply by S21
from UK
on 14th Oct 2014
Hi Frank, thanks for your kind words. We don't plan to review the new moto x, as we don't think it's going to be widely available in the UK. It looks like a good phone, although battery life may well be a problem, judging from the specs.

Comment by Nick
from UK
on 28th Sep 2014
Hey guys, any chance of a review of the oneplus one?
Looks as though it might be up their with the best phones of
2014

Reply by S21
from UK
on 30th Sep 2014
Nick, not sure at this stage if we are going to review this one. Definitely maybe.

Comment by Kof
from UK
on 10th Sep 2014
Just wondering when you're going to bring the next review on any
smartphone as it has been quite a while since you'd reviewed the last
phone (Nokia 930)

I hope you guys ain't gone on strike or
argued about who's going to make the next round of tea :-P

Reply by S21
from UK
on 10th Sep 2014
The past month has been quiet, but don't worry, you'll be hearing plenty from us again starting next week! Just as long as we can agree on whose turn it is to make the tea :)

Comment by George
from CZ
on 17th Jul 2014
Hi guys. Do you have any information about samsung UE40H5000?

Reply by S21
from UK
on 17th Jul 2014
It's like the H5500 but without Smart TV, and with only 2 HDMIs - check our review of the UE40H5500.

Comment by maqsood
from uk
on 4th Feb 2014
Hi I've been a great fan of your website for a few years now. Recently
I decided to go from android to windows 8 mobile platform. Now I'm
looking at possibly purchasing a windows tablet, however under the
'tablet' section I cannot see any reviews of these. Why is this? I
looking into either a Nokia or Asus transformer windows tab. I look
forward to hearing from you.thanks
maqsood

Reply by S21
from UK
on 4th Feb 2014
Hi maqsood, thanks for your kind comments! We have reviewed Microsoft Surface tablets, but not any of the Nokia or Asus Windows 8 tablets, as they are really not that popular. Unfortunately, we can't cover every single product.

Comment by ryan adams
from united kingdom
on 16th Nov 2013
hi I was wondering if you could help me choose a new mobile? I
currently have an iphone 4s and am due an upgrade. I've narrowed it
down to 3 which are, HTC one, sony xperia or the Samsung galaxy s4.
I'm currently with o2. if there's a better network you could recommend
also I would be extremely grateful.
thanks Ryan.

Reply by S21
from UK
on 16th Nov 2013
Ryan, I suggest you read the reviews of those 3 phones here and also the user reviews of networks. We can't know which phone will be best for you.

Reply by ryan adams
from united kingdom
on 19th Nov 2013
cheers for the reply

Comment by Ashley
from United Kingdom
on 23rd Oct 2013
I have just read the 2014 smartphone post and very much enjoyed the
style of writing. I have looked all over for a box to "sign up to
newsletter" but I cannot find one. I have instead liked the facebook
page and followed your twitter account. Would still like a weekly
newsletter though...

Reply by S21
from UK
on 24th Oct 2013
We no longer have an email newsletter, as most users seem to prefer Facebook/Twitter. We do have an rss feed too.

Comment by Marcus C
from UK
on 10th Oct 2013
I always read your site when thinking about my next upgrade. I like
your reviews and also like to read the comments people write at the
bottom of the review. Speaking of which, there doesn't seem to be
comments section for the Lumia 1020 yet?

Reply by S21
from UK
on 10th Oct 2013
Thanks for the feedback and we have enabled user reviews for the lumia 1020 now - thanks for pointing out our error!

Comment by Joe
from England
on 2nd Oct 2013
Any reviews for the Huawei Ascend w1 ????

Reply by S21
from UK
on 3rd Oct 2013
We will be adding Huawei reviews very soon.

Comment by Andy from UK on 4th Sep 2013
Hi I have submitted a few reviews on your website and everytime it's time for
an upgrade I always check the reviews on here first. May I make a suggestion
though and I appreciate you have loads of gadgets to test. But if like me you
do not want a large brick sized phone/tablet (whatever happened to phone's getting
smaller) you have to go into every phone review to find out the size of a phone
- would it be possible to somehow put the size of a phone against the phone
on the listings on the left of the screen?

Reply by S21 from UK on 4th Sep 2013
Hi Andy, thanks for your suggestion. It sounds like what you are asking for
is some kind of quick comparison or sorting tool. Other people may have different
criteria they want to search by other than size, so a general comparison would
work for everyone. We are currently reengineering the system that publishes
S21, so this is one thing we may be able to do in the near future. Can't make
any promises, but it's now officially on the wishlist :)

Reply by Andy from UK on 15th Sep 2013
Hi - Thanks for the reply - nice to see feedback acknowledged - sets your site
head and shoulders above the rest - Appreciated...

Comment by james from england on 24th Aug 2013
Your website is absolutely great everytime it comes to upgrade I always check
here before I buy! One little crititism is your adverts now make it impossible
to read your reviews on a mobile device. On a laptop or tablet you can close
them but not on a mobile please sort it out.

Reply by S21 from UK on 24th Aug 2013
James, thanks for your comment. We have become aware that the banner on the
left hand side of the page can present problems for mobile devices, and we are
looking at this now.

Reply by S21 from UK on 13th Sep 2013
Now fixed!

Comment by John from UK on 24th Aug 2013
Hey can you do a review on the Padfone Infinity or compare it against other
phones e.g. Galaxy S4, Xperia ZL, HTC One

Reply by S21 from UK on 24th Aug 2013
Hi John, sorry but we have no plans to review the Padfone Infinity. It's just
not a mainstream product in the UK.

Comment by Charles from England on 7th Aug 2013
For those of you that read this site on an iPod touch or iPhone and get that
super annoying red advert half way across the screen when you start scrolling
down. Start reading from the top and keep double tapping the bottom of the screen
to move it down, that way the advert never appears and you can have the text
over the full width of the screen.. Don't drag again though or it'll be back.

Using iPod touch 3rd Gen and iOS 5. Doesn't do it on my android phone.

Comment by Harry from UK on 16th Jul 2013
Can you please do a blow by blow comparison for the best smartphones in market
today i.e. iPhone 5 vs Sony Xperia Z vs Samsung S4 vs Htc One in terms of camera,
speed, music and all?

Reply by Bhuvan from India on 16th Jul 2013
So what would be your pick between Sony Xperia Z and Samsung Galaxy S4? It would
be great if you guys can come up with some comparison articles too as other
expert websites are doing. Thanks.

Comment by Bhuvan from India on 5th Jul 2013
Hi Guys,
Can you please give a comparison of Sony Xperia Z vs Samsung Galaxy S4.
I am trying to decide between the 2 of them.
I like sony brand as I am happily using W810i for the last 5 years.(bought that
after reading its review here only)
Xperia Z
Pros : Good music through headphones
Cons : Wifi Connectivity problems.
Galaxy S4
Pros : Good screen
Cons : Poor music through headphones.
This was my analysis. Can you please update me with your expert opinions.

Reply by S21 from UK on 6th Jul 2013
Hi Bhuvan, we had no problems with WiFi testing the Sony. Seems to be a marginal
issue with some users. The Xperia Z is a brilliant phone, and if you like Sony,
then it seems like an obvious choice. The only issue with the Xperia Z is that
the waterproof seal on the headphone jack might annoy you if you use it for
music a lot. Also, the phone isn't so easy to pick up, because of its shape.
But these are minor issues.

Comment by Ste from England on 5th Jun 2013
Hi s21, by s21 is this the postcode you are based in? As in eckington/renishaw/killamarsh?

Reply by S21 from UK on 5th Jun 2013
Hi Ste, no we are based in Oxford :)

Comment by Jay from England on 31st May 2013
What happened to old reviews? There is no Sony Ericsson!!! So your advice to
go to the manufacturer and scroll down doesn't really work does it?

Comment by Charlie from Scotland on 16th May 2013
I've just read your review on the Nokia 520. It states that the phone has an
LED flash for the camera. According to the Nokia web site, there is no flash
on this particular phone. How accurate is the rest of the review ?

Reply by S21 from UK on 17th May 2013
Hi Charlie, thanks for pointing that out. You are right, the 520 has no flash.
That "leaked" into the features list from the review of the Lumia
620. We have corrected it now, but our view of the phone is unchanged - we had
pointed out in our review that the camera works well in good lighting conditions.
We hope that you will find the rest of the review (and the site) accurate, although
it is never possible to guarantee perfection. At least, not until we have replaced
our editorial team with robots!

Comment by phonesarephones from uk on 27th Apr 2013
why do these mobile phone reviews never comment on voice/sound quality of the
phones when used for phone calls. after all they are mobile phones and it would
be good to know for those who make and recieve calls?

Reply by S21 from UK on 28th Apr 2013
Hi, good question! We assume that a phone will fulfil its core function of making
and receiving calls. In the rare cases where this is not true, we point this
out in the review, e.g. iPhone 4. Generally speaking it is rare to find a modern
phone that has signal problems or voice quality issues. If you experience these,
it is usually a sign of poor network coverage or a faulty microphone.

Comment by Mamun from Australia on 9th Apr 2013
At last I found this site :D. I used this site (Mobile Phones UK) a lot for
my research on mobiles. But recently I could not get the site searching with
"Mobile Phones UK". I'm really exited that I got this site again.

Comment by Carl from England on 3rd Apr 2013
Really liked your site. Have used it many times and been spot on. However your
older Sony reviews seem to have disappeared. Also we used to be able to get
a list of all the phone reviews with basic info which was great.

Reply by S21 from UK on 4th Apr 2013
Hi Carl, thanks for your comments. Old Sony Ericsson reviews are here.
Just click on any of the phone manufacturer pages and you'll see a list of all
phones we've reviewed plus a short summary of each.

Comment by lee from England on 21st Mar 2013
Love this site - like many i read this site religiously when new phones are
released. The question is though - where can mobiles go next...?

Comment by tony from UK on 2nd Feb 2013
i've been reading your reviews since i checked out a nokia 6310i, not that long
a go in the great scheme of things bit it seems a lifetime in phone tech. glad
to see you are still here and still doing well. it never ceases to amaze me
how poles apart some of the owners comments are, its hard to tell sometimes
they are talking about the same phone! So I agree, how about getting rid of
some of the more numpty replys and leave more room for better, positive or negative,
reviews?

Reply by S21 from UK on 3rd Feb 2013
Hi Tony, thanks for your kind words. We have been getting tougher with the numpties.
Our golden rule is "does this review help others to choose a phone?"
If not, we hit the delete button. PS. You wouldn't believe how many we have
deleted over the years.

Comment by Steve Hayes from UK/FR on 27th Jan 2013
Not only have you nearly disappeared (as per other feedback), it seems to me
you have zilched the old reviews.

No take it back you haven't, but you apparently HAVE removed them from the search.
The only way I found them was because I persisted.

I don't like touch screens, the glass gets scratched, they dont go in a pocket,
you can't see properly in full sunlight, so I needed to look at the older ones.
I'd hope you can earn a crust by linking out to ebay and so on.

PS I'm moaning because I care

Reply by S21 from UK on 27th Jan 2013
Hi Steve. Nothing has been removed. The old reviews are still here. Just click
on the manufacturer link in the left hand side navigation of our "Mobile
Phones" section, then scroll down to find old reviews.

Comment by Frank from UK on 22nd Jan 2013
Found you at last! I think you need to pay google a little bit more to include
your new name in the first page of a search for "mobile phone reviews". Anyway,
I've bookmarked you now on my new laptop. Nice to know you're still here :-)).

Comment by Virginia Brown from USA on 18th Dec 2012
Thanks for your great web site. I've looked at several of your reviews and found
them to be understandable and meaningful, even for the technically challenged
(like me!)

Comment by NH from England on 9th Dec 2012
I've been using this site for the best part of 4 years. My favorite part about
it is the fact that you keep the old reviews; I enjoy clicking them as they
bring back rose-tinted memories ;-). Will you ever start doing video reviews?
(Not a demand, just a question)

Comment by Alan from UK on 26th Nov 2012
Great site, I'm almost solely using it to figure out my upgrade from my old
workhorse (HTC Desire.) I'd wondered where the site had went for a while, and
stumbled back across this by fluke. Needless to say it's now bookmarked!

Reply by S21 from UK on 26th Nov 2012
Thanks, Alan. Hope you find your perfect upgrade. Remember to leave a review
when you do!

Comment by Rich from UK on 24th Nov 2012
Do you still have a link to older phone reviews? I'm looking at buying a basic
phone for work.

Reply by S21 from UK on 24th Nov 2012
Yes. Click on the manufacturer link in the left hand side navigation, then scroll
down to find old reviews.

Comment by Andrew Wiseman from UK on 18th Nov 2012
Yep - thought my favourite mobile phone review site had bitten the dust. I always
used to get here by typing "mobile phone reviews uk" into Google, but now you're
not there any more. Only found you by trying Bing and noticing one of the results
talk about a rebrand.

Reply by S21 from UK on 19th Nov 2012
Yes, that was always a problem with our old name - people couldn't remember
our URL. It's been exactly a month since we moved and Bing ranks us at #1 for
"mobile phone reviews" and Google at #2, so we're making good progress
at getting back our old positions on the search engines. You can help by clicking
the +1 or like buttons on our pages, or by retweeting our reviews. Thanks!

Reply by Sue P from UK on 19th Nov 2012
Yes it took me ages to find your new website - but after a bit of digging I
did, can't even remember how I did but I did. Happy now. BTW the old site didn't
redirect me to the new site as you mentioned was the case in an older comment.

Comment by Nick from UK on 2nd Nov 2012
Maybe im a bit simple but its taken me about an hour of searching to find you
after the rebranding to S21
Who knew?
Is there anything you can do via google that makes your new site easier to find
as surely you are going to lose users to rival review sites.
i must learn to bookmark more.

Reply by S21 from UK on 2nd Nov 2012
Our old site redirects to the new one, but that doesn't help if you can't remember
our old site address (that's one reason for the new easier-to-remember name).
Google knows about the move, but it often takes several weeks to properly handle
a domain change. Hopefully all will be well again soon. If you want to help,
then please click the facebook "like" buttons or the Google +1 buttons,
tweet us, or tell your mates about our new site!!! Follow us on facebook or
twitter and you'll always be up to date on the latest tech.

Comment by Tel from UK on 31st Oct 2012
As a mobile telecoms engineer for many years, I know all too well, for lack
of a better word, the idiosyncrasies of mobile phones on the market. And I have
to say without bias that your reviews always comment on these 'defects'. You
also point out their good points too, I hasten to add. As someone who gets constantly
asked his opinion on various phones, some of which I have never seen or used,
I have to admit that I ALWAYS use your reviews to answer their questions. You
have never let me down once! Good luck with your new website.

Reply by S21 from UK on 1st Nov 2012
Thank you for your kind words, Tel! We always strive to stay neutral and objective
and to give honest "warts and all" reviews. Our only bias is towards
you, our readers. And thanks to all our users who over the past decade have
contributed more than 50,000 reviews. It's these reviews that very often help
us to identify problems with products. We are always humbled by the willingness
of people to share their time and knowledge to help others in this way.

Comment by David from Middle Earth on 30th Oct 2012
Why S21?

Reply by S21 from UK on 30th Oct 2012
We wanted a short generic name. 21 suggests the 21st century. S stands for any
word beginning with the letter S. We thought it sounded cool.

We're aiming to provide a road map for technology in the 21st century,
starting with the convergence of mobile phones with, well everything. Check
out our awesome technology section for a flavour of
where we might be heading.

Reply by David from The Shire, ME on 12th
Nov 2012
OK. The S can stand for sexy :D

Reply by S21 from UK on 12th Nov 2012
Love it!

Comment by KDM from UK on 19th Oct 2012
Congrats on the new site... keep up the good work! Just one comment... I wish
you wouldn't show one line reviews from owners such as "this phone sucks" and
"This phone is boring" they are hardly reviews and no help to prospective buyers
at all.
Good luck!

Reply by S21 from UK on 20th Oct 2012
KDM, many thanks for your comments. With regard to one line reviews, etc, our
rule for acceping a review is that it must in some way help prospective buyers
to decide if they want to buy the product. "this phone sucks" doesn't
say a lot, but it does say something. We sometimes receive abuse for deleting
reviews, so it's a fine line to tread. I think we're going to get tougher from
now on.